Category Archives: iCloud (and MobileMe)

fixed : My Card in iOS Contacts.app is not me

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Question :
Something’s gotten mixed up on my iPhone… for some reason, when I click on “My Card” in the top of my Contacts.app… someone else is showing up… it’s not me… it’s someone who is in my contacts, but it is not me… I may have accidentally linked het “My Card” label to that contact, but I can’t remember when that could have happened… if I select the “My Card” entry, I can edit it, but that deletes the contact info of the person that has been linked to “My Card”, and creates a duplicate of my own contact info…. that is not the proper way to do this.. but I can’t find a way to link “My Card” back to me…

How do I link the “My Card” back to my own contact info ?

Answer :
To link the “My Card” back to your own personal contact info on iOS, do this :
– open the Settings.app on your iPhone
– scroll down and select “Siri & Search”
– in the page that opens, scroll down to “My Information”
– there you will see the wrong name listed next to “My Information”
– now, click on “My Information”
– then, your entire list of contacts will be shown, scroll down to your own contact info and select it
– then, you get back in the “Siri & Search” page, there you will now see yourself listed next to “My Information”
– then, exit the Settings.app
– now, open the Contacts.app and scroll to the top, there, you will now see your own contact info listed alt “My Card”
– not that iCloud will now make sure that this update/fix is synced/corrected accross all you Apple devices (Mac, iPad, iPhone)

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰


fixed : iCloud syc error – Desktop files on Mac have ‘cloud exclamation mark’-icon

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Question :
I was trying to access some files I have created on my Mac from my iPad, but the files that are in folder XYZ on my Mac’s Desktop are different from the ones that I can see in that same Folder XYZ when I access it from the Files.app on my iPad. Some files in Folder XYZ are the same and some are not… closing/quitting the Files.app on my iPad and reopening it doesn’t help… And when I look on my Mac, the files that are invisible on my iPad turn out to have a ‘cloud with an exclamationmark’-icon next to them on my Mac… I’ve also checked on my iPhone, and there I get to see the exact same content of Folder XYZ as on my iPad, but not the ones that are on my Mac…

This appears to be an ICloud syncing problem, but how do I fix it ?

Answer :
Yes, this is a syncing problem that iCloud sometimes runs into…
since there is no forced sync or manual sync option, this is how to fix it :
1- make sure that your Mac, your iPad and your iPhone all run the newest version of their OS (macOS, iPadOS, iOS)
2- make sure that your Mac, your iPad and your iPhone are all connected to a stable internet connection (either over Wifi or Ethernet)
3- make sure that you are logged in on iCloud with exactly the same account on all devices (Mac, iPad, iPhone)
4- if all the above is in place, restart your Mac without remembering open windows (to increase you chances on fixing this iCloud syncing problem, restart your iPad and iPhone as well)
5- wait for your Mac to restart/reboot entirely before doing anything else on it
6- wait for iCloud to sync back and forth amoung your Mac, iPad and iPhone (depending on the amount of files you have in your iCloud folders and your internet speed this may take up to 10 minutes or even longer)

That’s it !
…in 99% of the cases, this simple solution will fix your iCloud syncing problem
enjoy πŸ˜‰

fixed : eBook bought on iPhone not visible in Books.app on Mac

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Question :
I recently bought an eBook in Apple’s Books.app on my iPhone. When I opened the Books.app on my iPad it automatically appeared there, but when I opened the Books.app on my Mac I didn’t appear…

How do I fix this ?

Answer :

There are various reasons why this problem may occur, but 99% of the time this problem can be fixed by doing one of the following (just start trying the first, then the second, etc.) :

-1- Make sure that iCloud sync is switched on for all devices

  • on you iPhone, go to Settings.app
  • in the Settings page, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon on the top)
  • in the Apple ID page that opens, click on “iCloud”
  • in the iCloud page that opens, click on “Show All”
  • in the Apps using iCloud page that opens, scroll down and make sure that the switch at “Books” is switched ON (a green switch)
  • then, swipe up the entire page to close the Settings.app
  • then, on your iPad (if you have one), go to Settings.app
  • in the Settings page, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon top left)
  • in the Apple ID info that appears, click on “iCloud”
  • in the iCloud info that appears, click on “Show All”
  • in the Apps using iCloud info that appears, scroll down and make sure that the switch at “Books” is switched ON (a green switch)
  • then, swipe up the entire page to close the Settings.app
  • next, on your Mac, click on the Apple icon (top left in the menu bar)
  • from the pulldown menu, choose “System Settings”
  • in the window that appears, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon top left)
  • in the Apple ID info that appears, click on “iCloud”
  • in the iCloud info that appears, click on the “Show More Apps” button
  • in the popup window that appears, scroll down and make sure that the switch at “Books” is turned ON (a dark grey switch)
  • then click the “Done” button and close the Settings window by clicking on the small red button top left
  • now, open the Books.app on all your devices and check if the eBooks you’ve purchased in Books.app are now available on all devices

    If that did not work, try this next solution :

    -2- Make sure that you are logged in to exactly the same iCloud-account on all devices
  • on your iPhone, go to Settings.app
  • in the Settings page, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon on the top)
  • in the Apple ID page that opens, check that the iCloud-account that has purchased the eBook is showing
    if not : scroll down, click on “Sign Out”, follow the instructions and after logging out, log in now using the correct iCloud-account
  • then, on your iPad (if you have one) go to Settings.app
  • in the Settings page, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon top left)
  • in the Apple ID info that appears, check that the iCloud-account that has purchased the eBook is showing
    if not : scroll down, click on “Sign Out”, follow the instructions and after logging out, log in now using the correct iCloud-account
  • next, on your Mac, click on the Apple icon (top left in the menu bar)
  • from the pulldown menu, choose “System Settings”
  • in the window that appears, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon top left)
  • in the Apple ID info that appears, check that the iCloud-account that has purchased the eBook is showing
    if not : scroll down, click the “Sign Out” button, follow the instructions and after logging out, log in now using the correct iCloud-account

    now, open the Books.app on all your devices and check if the eBooks you’ve purchased in Books.app are now available on all devices

    If that did not work (or not entirely, because the eBook is showing on your iPhone and iPad, but it isn’t showing on your Mac), try this next solution :

    -3- Manually download the purchased eBook to your Mac
  • on your Mac, open the Books.app
  • in the Books window that opens, click on your own name (your personal avatar icon bottom left)
  • in the Account window that pops up, clcik on “Books”
  • in the page that opens, make sure that the “All” button is clicked, then click on “Recent Purchases”
  • in the “Recent Purchases” page that opens, find the eBook you are looking for and click on the “Cloud download”-icon next to the eBook’s cover picture
  • now the icon will start spinning and the eBook will appear in Books.app’s library

    That’s it !

    enjoy πŸ˜‰

fixed : share EPUB (with digital watermark) accross Books.app on iPhone, iPad and Mac

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Question :
I want to purchase an eBook that is not available in Apple Books. I have found it is available on the website of a bookstore in EPUB (with digital watermark) version. It seems like I should be able to download it after purchase and then read it in Books.app on my iPad or iPhone, but is it also possible to read it in the Books.app on my Mac ?

How do I do that ?


Answer :

Yes, you can buy an EPUB (with digital watermark) [ a.k.a. EPUB with social DRM ] and then read it on Apple’s Books.app on either iPhone, iPad or Mac. To do that, do this :

NOTE : if you buy an eBook on Amazon, it will only be available in the Kindle.app (that will automatically sync across your devices also), but getting a Kindle eBook into Apple’s Books.app is problematic… so if you prefer to read all your eBooks in Books.app, avoid buying eBooks on Amazon.

  • first, make sure that you are logged into your iCloud account on your iPhone, your iPad and your Mac (with the same iCloud account)
  • on your iPhone (or iPad) go to the online bookstore that sells the eBook in EPUB (with or without personal watermark or Social DRM)
  • purchase the eBook
  • when the download link appear, click on it
  • now the eBook will be downloaded to the Files.app on your iPhone (or iPad), which means it will be visible on the Desktop of your Mac also (which is automatically synced in iCloud)
  • now, on your iPhone (or iPad), click on the eBook in the Files.app and choose “open in Books”
  • now, the eBook will open in Books.app and is ready for reading
  • it will stay in the Library of your Books.app
  • if you have iCloud syncing switched on (most of us have) the eBook will now be available for reading in Books.app on your iPhone, your iPad and your Mac
  • if the eBook is not showing up on all devices, recheck in Settings.app if iCloud-syncing is switched on for Books.app
  • if you want to manually add the eBook to your iPhone or iPad, do this :
    • – open the Files.app and find the eBook
    • – click on the eBook and choose “Open in Books”
    • – then wait for the eBook to open in Books.app
    • if you want to manually add the eBook to your Mac, do this :
    • – on your Mac, find the eBook on your Desktop (or in the Desktop folder)
    • – Option-click (right-click) on the eBook icon
    • – from the pulldown menu that appears, choose Open With > Books
    • – now wait for the eBook to open in Books.app

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

fixed : how to get PS Express edited images from iPad to Mac ?

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Question :

I had to do a small retouch on an JPEG-image that is on my Mac, but my AdobeCS-licence is out-fo-date (and I don’t want to renew it until I need to do more tan one hour of work with it) so I can’t use Photoshop CS as I would usually do.

Then I remembered that I have the FREE Adobe PS Express-app installed on my iPad that should be able to do the trick. I figured out a way to get the JPEG-image to open using iCloud, but when I try to save the end result, the image is not saved in iCloud…

How do I get the edited JPEG back onto my Mac ?

Answer :

To open the JPEG-image that is on your Mac in PS Express-app on your iPad, do this :

  • first, on your Mac, make sure that the image is saved on your Desktop (or another easily accessible folder that is being synced across your devices using your iCloud-account)
  • then, on your iPad, open the Files-app and got iCloud Drive > Desktop (or the folder where the JPEG-image is in)
  • now click on the JPEG-image and it will open in a preview window
  • there, click on the Export-button top-right [the square with the upward pointing arrow]
  • in the pulldown-menu you will not see what you are looking for straight away, so scroll down and click on “PS Express”
  • now the JPEG-image will open in the PS Express-app and you can edit it

After editing, export the image back onto your Mac doing this :

  • make sure you have the finished the image open in PS Express-app on your iPAd
  • now, click on the Export-button top-right [the square with the upward pointing arrow]
  • in the window that opens, you will not see what you are looking for straight away, so scroll all the way down and click on More [the three dot icon]
  • now, in the popup menu that opens, scroll down and click on “Save to Files”
  • in the new pop-up that opens, typ the name you want to give the JPEG-image over the random name that was automatically generated (to by-pass potential naming conflicts, give it a slightly different name than the original image)
  • then, in the list of iCloud Drive folders, select Desktop (or the specific folder that you want to save the finished image to)
  • then check that it says “Item will be saved to “Desktop” on iCloud Drive.” and click Save [top-right]
  • then go back to your Mac, and you will see the edited JPEG-image there

That’s it !

enjoy πŸ˜‰

fixed : how to retrieve Safari Strong Password from iCloud

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Question :

I am setting up an app (ToDoist.app in this case) to work across my devices. I have set up the app (ToDoist.app) on my iPhone about a week ago, and now I am trying to set up the app on my Mac. The problem is I need to login to my ToDoist-account on my Mac, but since I have used the password that was automatically suggested I have no recollection of the password I have set…

Is there any way to retrieve the password from iCloud ?

 

Answer :

Yes, there is πŸ˜‰

To make the actual password visible, do this :

  • make sure that both your iPhone and your Mac are logged in with the same iCloud-account
    • on your iPhone, goto Settings.app > [your name] (listed on top) > iCloud
    • on your Mac, goto System Preferences > Apple ID (grey tile with the white Apple logo, top right)
  • then, make sure that iCloud’s password backup is switched on
    • on your iPhone, in Settings.app > [your name] (listed on top) > iCloud > “Apps using iCloud” > Keychain should be ON
    • on your Mac, in System Preferences > Apple ID > “Apps on this Mac using iCloud” there should be a check-mark at “Keychain”
  • if it wasn’t, restart the app on your iPhone
  • then, on your Mac, goto Safari > Preferences > Passwords
  • then, login on the window that opens ( using your Mac’s screen unlock password )
  • in the next window, scroll down the list and select the appropriate website
  • then, left-click on the dotted-out password ( so the actual password will be shown )
  • then, right-click on the password and select “Copy Password” from the pop-up list
  • now, paste the password into the app’s login-window

…this will unlock the app πŸ˜‰

enjoy !